Irene Naikaali’s Inspiring Work With The Hunger Project in Uganda

In a world where up to 783 million people — 1 in 10 of the world’s population — face chronic hunger, understanding the scope and drivers of this crisis is more important than ever.

Irene Naikaali is the Country Leader for The Hunger Project in Uganda – we sat down with her to discuss her childhood growing up in Kampala City, and how overcoming hunger in her own life has set her on a path to support other women and families to overcome poverty and build a better life for themselves.

Could you please tell me about your upbringing?

I grew up in one of the famous slums in Kampala City, Uganda, so I understand first-hand the effects of generational poverty. The reality of a country plagued by hunger and poverty is hard to ignore; my home was both surrounded and infiltrated by sickness, crime and instability.

I’ve seen these circumstances rob people of their dignity; but I’ve also seen enormous courage, creativity and compassion birthed from these circumstances. I didn’t have the luxury to turn away from all of this, but I did have the choice to strive for a better future for myself and my future family. Deep in my imagination, I always conceived a world without hunger. The challenges I faced in my young life taught me resilience and propelled me to embrace the opportunity to make a difference.

Can you explain the bigger picture about chronic hunger and poverty?

It’s a cycle. When a family becomes food insecure, they either don’t eat or they eat foods with low nutritional value. This can lead to chronic physical and mental illnesses, negatively impacting the ability to learn, work, and be a productive member of society. It can cause extreme stress – which can lead to disturbed family dynamics, and the cycle continues. It’s intrinsically linked in the way that education and poverty are linked – if a person can’t learn, they can’t work, they can’t earn money, they can’t eat.

Chronic, persistent hunger is entrenched in a community over generations and is not due only to lack of food. It occurs when people aren’t given the opportunity to earn enough income, to be educated and gain skills, to meet basic health needs and have a voice in the decisions that affect their community.

What is The Hunger Project?

The Hunger Project is a global movement of people and organisations committed to realising a world without hunger. The Hunger Project is dedicated to building resilience rather than reliance by addressing the systemic causes of hunger, such as gender inequality, injustice, climate change and poverty. It enables women to eradicate persistent hunger in their communities and makes them more resilient to the future. 

Hunger feeds off inequality, so we put women and girls at the heart of our work. More than 783 million people around the world are living in chronic hunger; and 60% of these are women and girls, who often eat last, and eat least. 

Through female empowerment programs across financial literacy, digital inclusion, personal health and wellbeing, nutrition, formal education, sexual consent, and sustainable farming practices – the Hunger Project believes that empowering women is the pathway to hunger.

The program is not a one size fits all approach – instead THP recognises that each region has its own geopolitical and socio economic context, and the programs in each region are designed to suit this. The program speaks the local language, understands the culture, can comprehend the challenges they face and ultimately respond to each group through its own unique lens. This is part of the power.

Studies show that when women are supported and empowered, all of society benefits. When women are equipped, families are healthier, more children go to school, agricultural productivity improves, there is an increase in income and the amount of people living in chronic hunger decreases.

The Hunger Project reaches 12 million people in remote villages across India, Africa, Bangladesh and Latin America. The program has seen a decrease in people living with hunger (25%), household poverty (28%), child marriage rates (27%) and an increase in female led businesses (25%).

I’m so proud to be part of this organisation. From an upbringing with no hope to where I am now, I remain committed to playing my part in ending world hunger as an expression of global citizenship, and responsibility.

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The problems we face, both at home and internationally are becoming increasingly intertwined. For more information on how you can support the work The Hunger Project are doing around the world, visit thp.org.au.

A few ways your support could help, include:

$20 could support the screening of a child for malnutrition in Uganda, directly in the community where she lives. During these screenings, parents are also educated on nutrition and optimal feeding practices. 

$80 could train a woman in Benin on nutritional health practices and how to sustainably grow foods that are rich in micronutrients.

$250 could support the establishment of a Young Mother’s Club in Senegal where women can share experiences and knowledge to tackle the root causes of malnutrition, including food, hygiene, water and sanitation.

$1,000 could support the training of 100 people in Burkina Faso on food security and farming techniques for highly nutritional crops.